The present invention relates to trays for transporting and storing containers such as beverage containers, and more particularly for those storing two or more six-packs of pull-top aluminum cans. It further relates to such trays which can be securely stacked one on top of another both when full and when empty.
Pull-top aluminum cans for soft drinks, other beverages and the like are stored and transported during the distribution stage typically in short-walled cardboard trays or in cardboard boxes. On the other hand as to bottles, because of the ever increasing cost in disposable tertiary packaging, returnable, reusable containers are becoming popular for the storage and handling of bottles. However, unlike plastic or glass bottles which have rounded edges on their crown or top, pull-top aluminum cans have square sharp corners (as compared with bottle tops) where the top of the can attaches to the sides thereof. Therefore, particular difficulties have been encountered in the stacking and manipulating of the trays of cans stacked relative to one another. In fact, there are no known returnable, reusable trays suitable for supporting pull-top aluminum cans and which can, when filled with such cans, be stacked securely one on top of another, so that the top tray of a stack of filled trays can be easily pulled off and along the stack without being lifted. In other words, the trays should be constructed so that when loaded they can be easily pivoted and slid off of loaded trays beneath them without having to be lifted.